Chapter 4

"What's wrong with Serah?" Noel shot up from his seat, his lengthy nails dug into the table.

"Noel, she's been harboring a broken rib for quiet a while. It could've cut into vital organs if she continued with your adventure," Hope took the clear tablet from Alyssa, showing Noel Serah's x-rays, "She has to stay here until she is fully healed. There is nothing to worry about Noel, I have my top medical team working on it right now."

"How long will that take?" He stared at the x-ray, noticing the broken rib but didn't fully understand the complex language and numbers around the picture.

"A few days." Alyssa said.

"A few d...Hope, we need to find your graviton ores now." Noel looked at the older man, no sort of affection that was shown an hour ago showed through his brown eyes. These were the eyes of a warrior.

"If you want, we can go visit Serah." Alyssa offered, "I'm sure she'll be happy to see her time traveling partner."

"If you would be so kind." Noel nodded.

All of them got up from their seats, Hope got up after Noel, both of them follow Alyssa. They took an elevator three flights up and stepped in the medical wing. Doctors of all sorts were running around with nurses who carried charts or were rushing patients down the hall. Alyssa opened her tablet once more, finding the room number and led the pair into a small medical room. Alyssa drew the curtains and gave view to Serah, she was playing a game with Mog with a bandage around her chest.

"Noel!" Serah's blue eyes lit up at the sight of her friend, "Hope. I'm so glad you guys are here."

"Yeah, we were getting bored of this game, kupo." Mog nodded and flew toward Noel.

"Seems to me Serah was having fun." Noel poked the moggle's stomach. The creature gave a giggle and flew back to Serah, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Noel. Hope's doctors are taking care of me. I should be fixed in no time." She reassured her friend, he took a chair and sat down by her beside, holding her hand, "You won't go on without me, right?"

"Of course not." He shook his head, "I'll be here until you get better. Do you feel any pain?"

Serah shook her head, smiling at how Noel took full responsibility of her even when he only understood part of the problem. The rib had begun to poke into her lung, causing some damage that would take more than a few days to repair and even longer for rehabilitation. Hope refused to let Serah out until she was fully well enough to face Caius or anything else out in the other time gates.

"They're so cute!" Alyssa whispered next to Hope, "Do you think they'll get together?"

"...Serah's...engaged, Alyssa." Hope smiled tenderly at the younger woman, the image of Noel between his legs made him blush lightly.

"Well that man certainly has competition." Alyssa pouted and crossed her arms, "I wish I could time travel, quiet a lot of good looking men in other futures. Don't you think?"

"We traveled nearly 400 years into the future and you still haven't found a 'good looking' guy," Hope teased, "Maybe it's not the guys."

"Hey!" She pushed him affectionately, "Maybe I have but he just can't see it."

Hope's heart skipped a beat at that, it wasn't that he had some deep feelings for her, it was the way she said it. Hope knew it would be hard to break it to her, much less keep her quiet about his sexuality.

"Director!" A nurse squeaked as she came between Alyssa and Hope, walking to Serah, "Were you talking to the patient? Her rehabilitation hour is here."

"Ah, perfect," Hope nodded and looked over at Noel, "Noel you can return to Serah after her rehab is done. For now, I'll show you someplace you can relax and put your mind at ease."

For a moment Noel looked like he was going to slash the nurse to pieces, not wanting anyone touching his partner. But once he passed his gaze toward Hope's emerald green eyes he got up calmly and squeezed Serah's hand one more time.

"I'll be back," He said, "Get better, alright?"

"I don't think there's anything else I can do." She smiled.

"That's my girl." Noel knocked his knuckles against her head and walked out the door with Hope and Alyssa, "What is it you want to show me?"

"We have a training room for training guards. It's a simulation area where we bring replicas of actual monsters to life inside the room, you can fight them without getting harmed." Hope explained to the younger man and looked over at Alyssa, "Alyssa could you show him the area? I need to check on a few things."

"Sure thing, Director!" She nodded and took Noel by his arm, chatting away as always.

Hope went down to his office, not the one in his bed room, but the one in the highest floor of the building. He sailed upwards in the elevator, yawning every so often to pop his hears. The dutiful director needed to check on three different projects, none of them relating to Serah and Noel's adventure. One of them was to building another Academy college. The other was to build a park where they had just brought down a building. The last was for a new pre-school. He sat down at his desk, signing contracts and making new ones.

It was about twenty minutes into the hour when his whole room shook violently. With a surprised yelp he fell off of his chair and covered his eyes to the bright that ripped a time gate into his room.

A tall, armored man with feathers in his purple hair stepped through with a girl no older than fifteen years of age. Hope's heart raced madly at the sight of the pair, easily recognizing them from the Serah's descriptions. Caius and Yuel.

"You," Caius didn't bother with his weapon, not seeing Hope as a threat, "What have you done with Noel?"

"Noel?" Hope gathered his voice, "I haven't done anything to him."

"You demoralized Noel, that is your crime. Do not lie to me." The older man grabbed Hope by his shirt collar.

"He is old enough to make his own decisions." A fierce courage ran through Hope,"I have done no crimes to him. He made his decision on his own."

"Yuel has told me everything. From your past to what will happen to you both in the future," Caius pressed his weak body against the bed with a single hand, choking Hope, "If you continue this path I will destroy you."

"Then you will destroy the future." Yuel's voice was soft as she spoke, pressing her hands to her chest, "You cannot kill him."

Caius let out a deep breath of air and looked at his younger companion. His grip around Hope's throat lessened, allowing Hope to suck in deep breaths. With a jolt Hope took the chance and let out a blast of fire from his hands, his magic returning to his veins in his crisis to live. Caius let out a shout of surprise and let go of the Director. His training with Lighting came back to him, twisting out of the way of Caius's grip. Twisting around he let out another blast, this time electricity, and set up a protective barrier around him with his other hand.

"At least Noel chose a talented man." Caius nodded at Hope in approval, "All the more aggravating."

Hope focused on escaping the room, the only exit being the door Caius was blocking. Taking the chance he let out a whirl wind of air from his palm and jumped on the bed, attempting to leap above Caius and out the door. But his attempt failed as Caius swung his sword, cutting out Hope's attack quickly, and slammed the flat of the blade against Hope's stomach. The protective barrier kept Hope from receiving most of the damage, but the blade still winded him.

The Director fell onto the couch with a loud grunt, Caius forced him onto his stomach and pressed his large hand against the back of his neck. Hope felt the man's breath against his neck as Caius leaned down to pin him further into the bed.

"Caius...you can't..." Hope gasped, "There's...you have...a child...in the room."

"Next time I will be sure there won't," Caius growled deep against his ear, "If you dare touch Noel once more, I will do to you whatever you do to him. Are we clear?"

Hope's face was pressed hard against the couch, he felt Caius's armor dig deep into his skin, ripping into his clothing all the while.

"Are we clear?" Caius snarled.

Hope nodded. Then suddenly, the pressure was gone from his body. He got up and saw no trace of Caius or Yuel, except for the large slash Caius's blade inflicted upon the wall. Hope sat on the couch and slowly put his face in his hands, sighing. Blood trickled down his back from where the armor had cut him. After he calmed himself Hope went toward the phone attached to the wall and called up a service worker.

"And bring me a new uniform. Thank you." Hope hung up and waited on the couch, sterilizing the wounds with a medical bot. The white haired man put his face in his hands again, not knowing that to do.

"I can't just leave Noel like that, he'd know..." Hope mumbled to himself, "I'll have to talk to him."

"Your simulation room was great." Noel walked beside the director, "I almost believed I was at the Yassif Massif for a moment."

"A moment? Then I haven't done my job correctly," Hope shook his head, smiling at his own timid joke, "Please, you must shower before stepping into my room. I hope Serah didn't smell...that."

"By that you must mean hardwork," Noel grinned, "Serah's used to it."

"I would imagine so." Hope knocked his knuckles against Noel's head as a sign of affection, "Now hurry up, I'll be waiting in my room."

"You don't smell so well yourself," The Hunter grabbed his arm, a familiar lusty gaze in his eyes, "You should take one too."

I will do to you whatever you do to him. Caius's voice rang through his head.

"In the morning I will...just in case if...this morning repeats itself." Hope fumbled for an excuse, finding this as the best one.

"It's going to start where we left off right now." Noel seemed urgent for Hope's body.

Noel is still young. Hope thought, looking at his honey brown gaze. And like a child, he wants whatever he can get.

"No, Noel." Hope tried to rid himself of the young Hunter but Noel refused to take no for an answer.

Not caring for anyone who walked in the hallway, thankfully no one, Noel pinned the director to the wall and kissed him feverishly. Hope responded with the same desire for attention, his thoughts lost in his desires as, for the first time, Hope fought for dominance over Noel. The boy was reluctant to give up his spot but was more than happy to pick a fight. The pins of his shirt were clumsily being pulled off but Hope caught both of Noel's wrists in his hand and detached himself from the young Hunter. Hope was already too heated to hear his rational thoughts, the director pushed them both into an empty shower room and locked the door behind them.

You musn't do anything to the boy. A voice shouted. Caius will do the same to you.

"H...Hope." Noel whispered his name through the kisses, the Hunter's face began to redden from the heat between them. The look sent all of Hope's thoughts to the back of his mind, he set a shower on and slipped Noel free from his shirt. The younger boy did the same with Hope and reached for his belt buckle. Hope dropped his pants, leaving him in his briefs while Noel stood bare as the morning sun. The shower pelted the both of them, Noel pulled the curtain behind Hope.

Before Noel could pull back from his position Hope bit hard into his neck, the Hunter letting out a surprised moan, allowing the director to take dominance. He left small kisses along Noel's chest, inching lower to Noel's hardened member.

"Hope, are you..are you sure?" Noel ran his hand through Hope's hair, it took all of his training to not force him down between his legs.

"I said I'd return the favor." Hope ran his tongue inside Noel's belly button, just for the quirky pleasure. Noel pressed his back against the wall of the shower and felt Hope take him inside his mouth.

There was a shiver of cold heat that ran down Noel's spine, he began to pant as Hope followed Noel's previous example, pleasuring him the same way Noel had done to him.

Caius wouldn't dare do this to me. Hope thought as he opened his eyes to look up at Noel, his flushed face was red, his free hand scratching at the shower stall wall while his own toes curled in. Brown eyes met green eyes in their state of euphoria, it sent Noel into a frenzy of even louder gasps. Quicker than Hope, surprisingly Noel came into the director's mouth. In reflex Hope swallowed and choked at the sudden load, pulling Noel out of his mouth and coughing.

Noel sank down the wall, his legs spread around Hope. Both of them were soaking wet from the shower, the hot water creating steam all around them. Hope pressed the green button at the side of the wall to release a small amount of shampoo into his hand. He turned toward the still panting hunter and began to wash his hair, making Noel close his eyes at the feel of Hope's soft fingers rubbing into his scalp.

"I'm a grown boy." Noel protested but pushed his head under Hope's head, enjoying the sensation.

"A dirty boy, more like. Hope put a dab of bubbles on the hunter's nose and continued to wash his hair. Noel reached out with his hand and got his own dab of shampoo and began to sink the liquid into Hope's white hair. Hope looked down at the younger boy, smiling at the look on his face which was a mix of pleasure and pure happiness. Noel met his gaze and leaned forward, Hope catching his lips.

Caius would have to strip from that armor if he were to do anything to me. Hope thought furiously, making him bite hard on Noel's lips. I'm not doing anything wrong to Noel. Noel is old enough to say no and I'm wise enough to tell if he doesn't want it.

Noel broke the kiss to grin at the older man. Hope could only grin back.